Home dye hair virgin!

[Horsemad]

Which is the least messiest foolproof one to use please? Contemplating doing it myself to save money but terrified of cocking it up

foams are easy to apply but I dont think they last as long - I normally end up with blobs of it on my ears too. I used the Feria one last time and it was easy enough - pour the colour into the developer, shake, take the tip off and apply to the hair starting with the roots first. I keep baby wipes handy to get dye off ears, forehead, sink, etc too. I also use an old top rather than trying to keep a towel on and keep it for whenever I dye my hair.

If you've never dyed your own hair before I would strongly recommend that you use a semi permanent dye first time round, it fades out rather than grows out so if you hate it you're not stuck with it

Other tips:
Always do a skin patch test 24 hours beforehand

Put a thin layer of vaseline around the skin next to your hairline especially on your forehead and on your ears It makes wiping smudges off much easier

Use a tint brush to do your hairline

Dye your hair when it's slightly dirty

Good luck!

PS I used to use L'Oreal Casting Creme in chocolate brown before I went blonde. It was easy to use and left my hair v glossy

Moisturise your forehead, ears and nape of neck beforehand, in case you get dye on them - as easier to get off then. Baby wipes are amazing at getting off dye - both from your bath and your skin, even if left for a bit.

Cling film - wrap it around your hair and head after you are done putting the dye on and have to sit around for however long before you can wash it off. You will look like. Ridiculous cone head but at least it's safe to go make a brew without staining anywhere!

I use permenant dye thanks to my bionic grey hairs that resist anything else. I've yet to find a dye that has the little comb attachments that actually work, I find they always leak, so I would just stick to the normal bottle attachment. Stand in front of mirror and use comb to section hair so you don't miss anything and don't forget the back!

Yes to doing it dirty too, forgot that one.

Thanks for replies. I've been having my hair dyed at the hairdressers for about 15 yrs now, started off with semi & moved to permanent for longer lasting grey coverage.

Currently, greys are showing down my parting after about 3 wks I cannot give in to grey yet!!

horsemad - how about you just get the parting done every few weeks? and then what ever you usually get done at 6/8 weeks?

That's what I tend to do Jax, still quite costly though. I might start getting it cut every other appt and see how that works out.
I don't begrudge paying it as I know it takes the stylist time to do it, but it does work out a lot of money.

I know horsemad I have more and more stubborn white hairs (stress highlights) coming through at the front, around parting and around ears. I think it is just an unfortunate, costly part of life when we get to a certain age and the grey/white isnt enough to let it go all that colour if we want to.

I dont want to but I have gone a shade or two lighter than I used to and that has helped 'mask' the white roots.

Yeah, getting older sucks!

My tip is to get one of these, a box of proper latex gloves and mix up the dye and activator in a plastic bowl. Basically do it the same way the hairdresser does (which you must have sat through for hours). That way you can brush plenty of colour on the front/partings/stubborn bits first and then fill in the rest with little partings. Have an old towel to hand and if possible set up two mirrors to see the back of your head properly. I'm not an expert on colour but I try to go for a colour that blends well with my natural one, so steer clear of anything too red or dark in my case.

I guess there's no reason you can't buy a kit and mix up a little at a time to do your parting/roots a bit more frequently.

L'Oreal Excellence I find good for coverage but it's trial and error I guess.

yes, thats an idea fossil if you know what colours/volume the hairdressers use then you could mix your own.

Or maybe see if the hairdressers has a model evening/day for training.